Semi hits police motorcycle; officer OK

A semi-truck hit the back of a Tacoma police officer’s motorcycle on Interstate 5 on Tuesday, but the officer is OK, according to the Tacoma Police Department.

The accident at 3:45 knocked the officer and the motorcycle to the pavement. The officer was taken by other police officers to a local hospital as a precaution, said police spokesman Mark Fulghum. The officer’s bike wasn’t totaled, but it was in “pretty bad shape” Fulghum said.

Fulghum said the officer and another motorcycle officer had activated their emergency lights and were pulling over to help a stranded motorist near the southbound exit to state Route 16 when the semi clipped the motorcycle.

The State Patrol is investigating the incident that snarled traffic on the freeway.